Thursday, February 11, 2010

Just Get It Out Already

So I was listening to NPR on the way to work and an interesting story came on the radio.

The story stated that scientists had finally found and noted the first genes linked to stuttering. The story went on to say that now it's proven that the behavioral disorder was hereditary. Because of this, doctor's can come up with a possible enzyme to lessen the symptoms of stuttering.

I was stunned to hear this. I have been stuttering since i was about six years old. I went to therapy in elementary school and even though my speech teacher was very nice, I'm not sure it helped that much. I have found ways to cope with my stuttering. Choosing words I wouldn't stutter over, talking slower. Sometimes it would work and sometimes it wouldn't.

My stuttering is not as bad as some people I have seen. I have a light stutter that some people doesn't even know exists. It was never a hindrance to my life. Just a source of embarrassment when callous people who had no couth would make jokes about it or a sense of frustration when people couldn't understand what I was sayin gor had no patience to wait while I spoke.

I managed to get through speech class when I was in college and I wish now that I had done my speech on stuttering. It would have made me feel a lot more confident during the speech.

So the center of my feelings is, would I take a pill that eliminated my stuttering? I'm not sure. I mean not stuttering would feel super weird but at the thought of saying my name without worrying what's going to come out (or not come out) or ordering at the drive through clearly. That excites me. But a part of me feels like it's taking away a part of who I am. It has caused sadness but it has also made me stronger in a way.

At any rate, I don't foresee a pill or vaccine coming on the market for years and years. It's just something to think about.